A Piece of Home
by KatherineMP20
Summary: Katie's -OC- been feeling run down lately. The guys stop by her house in CT to surprise her when they learn that she hasnt been able to afford the trip home in nearly 3 years.
1. Chapter 1

_***AN* This should be one of my shorter stories. Honestly it should only be about 3 chapters or so. Not much to this story it was just an idea that I had. Hard to come up with a summary because this doesnt seem to have much of a plot. This story and my last one have been a bit rough but dont worry I havent lost my edge. I'm just trying new things for the moment to see what I can come up with. I wanted to try shorter stories for a little bit just to give myself a break and to see how much detail I can use to get the point across but still move the story along swiftly. If you dont like the stories I post dont read them or unsubscribe but I will get back into the stories you fell in love with. Comments and questions are always welcome.***_

"Hey Katie, you busy?" Logan asked.

"Not really, just working on some paperwork. What's up?"

"You want to get some fresh air? Maybe toss a Frisbee or something?"

"Sure." she said with a smile. She placed down all her notes and papers neatly so she could find where she left off later and chased Logan through the halls as they made their way outside. It was a bright and sunny day like normal and the temperature was perfect at being a nice cool 75 and with a slight breeze. Katie shielded her eyes from the bright sun; after being inside the studio in artificial light, her eyes couldn't adjust right away. It took only a few moments before she could see again and began to play.

They tossed the Frisbee for a while, although Katie was horrible at long or high distances. She could barely throw it straight. They switched to a little bit of baseball, using a wiffle ball to avoid any broken windows and other damages. Katie was a couch potato but enjoyed being outdoors. She was put off by many activities because she mostly found them boring. She was a fast runner, fastest of them all but didn't have the stamina to run for long distances. She was a great climber and jumper too.

The guys included her in many of their activities just to bond and have a good time and often centered activities around her so she wouldn't feel left out. They helped her learn new activities like skateboarding and surfing. Katie played the occasional sport with them often but sometimes she just sat on the sidelines with a book and enjoyed the fresh air.

Eventually, a crew member came outside to round Logan and Katie back into the studio; they had more scenes to do and needed to visit hair and make-up for a touch up. Still full of laughs and energy they ran around the studio a bit more before simmering down to do their takes. They wrapped up early for the night and the whole cast went out for dinner and shared many memories and laughs. They had tomorrow off and stayed quite late as they caught up with each other. It wasn't too often that they were all together even on the set.

Soon enough, despite it being a longer season, filming had ended and another break came for all. The guys had a shorter break as they began tour boot camp and then flew to the UK to start their tour. Katie had some work still to do in LA. She was head of marketing and advertising and was often brainstorming ideas for new merchandise. Despite the professional title, her job was quite cushy; she watched many of the shows broadcast on the network for a good portion of the day, drew up quick schematics of any ideas she had and sent them off for evaluation along with reasoning.

Katie had an interesting way of thinking and although she was 22 she came up with many ideas for toys even for younger children. She was popular on the show so it gave many of her ideas an extra boost in marketing and sales campaigns. She even had her own logo that was spread on many of the things she designed: 'A product of Katie Pryszweic'. These toys and items flew off the shelf faster than other merchandise.

Katie also helped in designing campaigns and starring in commercials. She made a lot of money for the network and company as a whole although she didn't see much of it. She only got a small percentage of it back and it was included in her paycheck for the show each month. Despite being a major character, her name was in the opening credits after all, she didn't receive as much as the guys. But she was fine with it, honestly what she did didn't even feel like work and she was making more in a year than most people do.

Once she finished her quota for the half she was free to go but had no where to go to. She couldn't afford to go home for the 6 months she was on break. She sent her paycheck home every month for her parents to live off of. Her parents struggled with the bills sometimes and her college expenses had begun to roll in and she had only been in college for 2 years before she was offered this opportunity. She received nothing from her checks and all was sent home and used. Katie had it figured that it would only be about a years worth of show pay to cover all the debt but she had been in LA for nearly 3 years now and only recently had an account been open for her to spend freely.

The bills were more manageable but there was still things to pay and Katie received only what was left over which just covered some basic living expenses. She couldn't even afford to rent her own place and barely had enough for food. So she lived in her office at network HQ. She had to share a bathroom but she had a spacious office that she turned into a mini apartment with still enough room to move around comfortably.

The tour had begun to wind down and BTR were now on the USA leg of their tour. They had a long flight from Belgium to the east coast of the US and had run out of things to do. Kendall finished his book and had nothing else to read, he didn't think he would finish the book he had brought.

"I wonder what Katie's been up too?" Kendall said, breaking the silence

"Me too. She always says she keeps busy when we're gone but she never gives too many details." James added

"Speaking of Katie, has anyone noticed a change in her? Like she's just not acting like herself." Carlos said

"She was probably just tired like all of us. As fun as filming is, it takes a lot out of you." James replied

"Still, something just didn't feel right this time. I don't think she has ever been this run down before." Carlos continued

"You know I have noticed her being a little distant lately. Usually she hangs outside when she can but she's been in her room a lot and when I asked her if she wanted to throw a Frisbee for a while she wasn't as enthusiastic about it." Logan added

"Maybe she wasn't feeling well?" Kendall asked.

"She didn't say anything." Logan replied

"Usually she doesn't but then again, she usually doesn't get sick." Kendall said

"Why not see if she's online and face chat? Then we can see her and found out if she's alright" James suggested

"What if she is busy though?" Logan wondered

"Never know until you try." James said

"Here, I'll hook it up." Carlos said. "Yeah, she's online, I'll put a call through." he continued before his laptop started to ring. It stopped ringing and they were connected but there was no video or audio.

"Katie? You there?" Kendall greeted questioningly. There wasn't a response so Carlos tried to adjust his settings to see what he could do while the others continued to test the connection. Eventually they heard some muffled sounds from her end and called out again. This time she answered.

"Hey guys! I hear you and I can see you but sorry to say my webcam isn't functional right now. I need to get a new one." she greeted

"Awww that sucks!" Carlos sighed

"We wanted to see a familiar face." Kendall added

"At least we can hear you though." Logan reconciled

"I know and its great to see and hear you guys! I've missed you, its hard to get back into the swing of things after being gone for 6 months. I havent seen any of my friends since I came back, I've been so busy with working on different projects. How's the tour going?" She asked

"It's going pretty good, we're on our way back to the states. James informed

"Oh, right. I got your tour schedule right here. Looks like your headed to Rhode Island." She said

"I don't know off hand actually." James replied

"You're the first person who's told us where too next, all of our stuff was packed up yesterday including our schedule." Logan said

"I see. Well on the east coast it's July 14 and its hot. No sign of rain next week and your concert is at the Garden Square on the 16th." she told them

"Good to know where we're going." James chuckled

"Always on top of everything." Logan smiled

"I try. Believe me I'm not perfect at this. Need anything else?" Katie asked

"Nope." James stated

"Why are you busy?" Carlos asked

"No, not at all actually. I just wanted to know if you needed me to look up anything before we began to get too deep in conversation." Katie said

"No, I think we are all good." Kendall said

"Yep." Logan agreed

"Ok."

"Oh wait!" Kendall said suddenly

"Yeah, Kendall?" she asked

"Do we have a show in CT and if so, are you coming and do you have you pass?" Kendall asked

"Uh….yes, there is a show in CT it's by the shore this time, quite a trip actually. I have my pass but I'm not sure if I can go. It's not the distance; I might have to teach a class at the academy. It's not until the 27th so I still have time to make a decision but I'm ready to go just in case." she replied

"I hope you can come." Carlos said

"Me too. But I am behind in my classes and it's not fair to the students." she replied

"We understand." James said. They talked for an hour and a half before Katie had to leave. She didn't tell them why but it was getting busier in her office and she didn't want them to hear anything that told them that she was still in LA. She made it a point to keep in quiet about her time off, the guys assumed that she went on vacation or went home like they did, they would be disappointed to find out she had been lying to them for all these years. They would be hurt, they would have felt as though she couldn't trust them to help or tell them her struggles.

The days came and went and she kept busy doing paper work and working via skype at the Academy and also helping out around the office. The concert in CT grew closer and it pulled at her heart knowing the guys would be looking for her not only behind the scenes but in the crowd. She knew they would get over it and be able to go through with the concert, she wasn't worried about that at all. He just wondered what they might think, this would be the first year that she missed the concert. She always went to one show during the tour whether it was one in California before she left for the season or one in the tri-state area of CT.

Soon enough it was the day of the concert and she was reminded of it constantly even through the numerous amount of work she put herself in, she couldn't help but feel bad. They day ticked by slowly and she received a few texts from Carlos last night asking about the concert but she didn't respond until a few hours later when she told him she couldn't make it. Carlos passed on the news to the others and after a moment of silence they moved on, saddened but focused on the job ahead. They completed sound check and met behind the stage where Kendall had an idea.

"Ok I know this is crazy but Katie's house is only an hour from here. We have the rest of the afternoon to ourselves and the concert isn't until 8. As long as we are back by 7 we'll be fine. Let's go visit her and see if we can persuade her to come."

"But I thought she was teaching?"

"Ok so we persuade the students to forgive her as we steal her. Either way let's do this."

"I don't know Kendall, I know we have 5 hours but I don't think its enough time to be traipsing across CT. What if we get lost or break down somewhere? If we don't come back in time for our concert we are in deep trouble."

"We'll make it. Besides the quicker we decide and leave, the quicker we can get her and bring her here."

"We don't even know where this Academy is."

"Her parents must know. We'll stop there first. Now are you guys in or out?" Kendall asked. The other three looked at each other before giving in.

"I'm in." Logan said first

"Me too." James followed

"Let's do it." Carlos said. They went off to the bus area but the van was gone. Kendall called Daniel to ask him where it was. It was being gassed up and an oil change; the check engine light came on halfway down the highway. With the van out of commission for at least an hour, they lost hope but James took matters into his own hands and without a second guess, suggested the tour bus itself. The driver was taking a rest since they arrived 3 hours ago and although they felt guilty they asked him to drive them.

"I thought this was the destination?"

"it is, but we need to make another stop first then we are coming back here in a few hours. The van is being worked on and we cant wait for it." Logan explained.

"Please drive us?" Carlos asked.

"Sure. Do you have any directions?" he asked. Kendall handed him a paper from mapquest and after looking it over, the driver started the bus and took off without question


	2. Chapter 2

_***AN* Final chapter. I have many ideas still brewing in my head but some of them are regular fiction stories. I have been publishing those on Fiction Press under the same username. Not too much so far, I'm working on a mini series called Summer Fest Hero that I based off of real life occurrences when I work the summer fest every year. They are not exactly what happened, they are exaggerated or completely fantasized stories. Some of my fiction stories I may duplicate/ fix up to be BTR stories or vice versa.***_

The guys have been to Katie's house before and when they arrived the noticed a huge difference in the overall standing of it. Last time they were there, the property was in a total state of disrepair but now it looked almost as if it was a brand new house. The front and back yard no longer had any over grown or dead bushes, trees and weeds. The front yard also had a new bed of grass put in after the railroad ties were taken out and transformed into a solid bank rather than having breaks in it. The sidewalk and both porches were replaced, the house had a fresh coat of paint and the house even had an extension put on where an indoor pool was now housed as well as making the rooms on the side and back of the house and extra 10 ft longer.

They made their way up the path and flew up the brand new stairs leading to the house and James rang the doorbell. The sound of them coming up to the door alerted Katie's dog, Shadow to their presence and almost immediately the door opened and they were greeted by her mom.  
"It's so good to see you guys! I didn't know you were in town! Come on in." she said. They came in and greeted her father who only gave them a wave and went back to his newspaper but still listened in. "Don't tell me Katie's still asleep on the bus." her mother said.

"No…" Kendall began  
"She's not with us." James said  
"We thought she was here." Carlos added  
"No she isn't. she hasn't been home in so long…" Her mom replied  
"She told us she was here working at the Academy." Logan said  
"No, she gave that up when she went to LA" her mom said  
"You have no idea where my daughter is?" her father said gruffly. The guys were taken aback at his tone and tried to think their way through without setting him off. He was friendly for the most part he just didn't like them because they spent so much time with his daughter. He peeked into plenty of teen magazines and although she was rarely interviewed she was often in candid paparazzi shots, alone with them and that's what he didn't like. Despite explaining that nothing goes on between them other than a strong friendship they were still on his dislike list.

"Call her. Call her now!" James said in a slight panic. They all reached for their phones and began to frantically work them to text and call their friend.  
Katie was in the middle of checking over some folders on her desk that needed to be reviewed, changed and signed when her phone began to go berserk. It flashed, rang, and vibrated as she received one call, then a text, call waiting and another text and then one last one. The first call was a restricted number and call waiting was Carlos so she ignored the first one and went straight to him.

"Hey Carlos, what'cha need?" she said in a calm voice.  
"Katie what the hell! Where are you, what are you doing? Why arent you home?" Carlos returned rapid fire in a panicked and gruff tone.  
"Wait a minute slow down, what are you talking about?" she came back  
"We are at your house and you are not here." Carlos began. Kendall took the phone from him. "Hey! Kendall!"  
"You havent been home in 3 years! What gives?" Kendall asked. Carlos took back his phone and put it on speaker phone so he could stay in control of it yet everybody could hear and speak to her freely.  
"Yes, I havent been home in a while. I couldn't afford it. I'm not paid the amount of money that you guys are." she explained  
"You're still paid more than most people on the planet!" James rebutted.  
"Most of my needs are covered under my contract and as long as I am employed by the network I'll be fine. Therefore I sent my whole checks home where they could be put to some use. My parents could take what they needed and put the rest in an account, which they did. I only have to buy food 6-10 months out of the year and since my body is used to the schedule from filming the rest of the year, I can easily go without food. That's why I've lost so much weight, so fast; I wasn't sick, I was just using the stores of fat, that I've had for years, rapidly." she explained. Her heart was racing as she talked and explained everything. She was upset that she couldn't keep it a secret any longer and that they found out the way they did. They talked for a little while before each party was satisfied with their answers and hung up.  
"I didn't realize she was struggling so much out there, we spent her money so wildly to repair the house and pay all the bills. I thought what she was giving us was ours to spend and for college, I had no idea that she took nothing out of it. We have quite a bit saved in our retirement and her college fund so she could continue school once this showbiz life ended but we'll take it all out and send it over so she can come home or at least buy a house."  
"I don't think she would want you to do that. Besides, she's talked about returning to school one day and finish up and open her own business." Logan said.  
"She's worried about you guys and wanted to make sure you had the means to care for yourselves. You said that you started an account for her to spend a few months back. With time she should be able to live large like the rest of us." Kendall assured.  
"That's right, she's at least getting more food now. And don't worry about a house, she'll come live with me; I have this huge house just outside Hollywood, there's plenty of room for her there." Carlos said.  
"She either lives here or her own place. I don't want her sharing some cramped place with a guy. I don't care if you are friends, I will not allow it." her father demanded.  
"She cant afford it!" her mom defended.  
"Then she comes home." he demanded  
"Well she cant afford that either. You're going to make her give up all this glamor over something that obviously isn't happening?" she said.  
"How would you know? She hasn't been here! Maybe she's been ashamed from coming home." he argued

"There's just no getting through to him sometimes…" she said to the guys who were standing in fear. Katie's father was a 6ft 200lb ex marine. Although he was in his 60's and had some health problems in the past he had a temper that could intimidate an army. It was one of the reasons Katie had remained single for so long. Her father got frustrated and left, letting the guys calm down now that they no longer feared for their lives. They talked with her mom for a while as they discussed some options and just caught up in general. They stayed for about an hour when Daniel called them asking where they were and then cut their visit short.

"Thanks for stopping by, boys. Its always great to see you. Make sure you tell Katie I said hi and that I miss her." she said  
"We will. I'm sure she misses you too." Carlos said  
"You still hear from her though right?" James asked  
"Oh yes, often almost everyday. But its just not quite the same you know?" she replied  
"I'm sure. She's definitely been missing home; she's been so down and I can only imagine what it must be like when we arent around. She's got nothing, no one." Logan said.  
"Why not come with us, Mrs. P? You can fly out to LA and spend some time with her." Kendall suggested  
"I couldn't do that, I cant leave Mr. P alone, he wont admit it but he gets scared when he's left alone because of his health history. He wants to be around people or at least somewhere that is frequented. And he's not going to want to go to LA either, even if it is too see Katie. I hate to leave her and I know she must feel awful. I just wish there was something that I could do for her!" her mom said as she began to cry.  
"I have an idea. it's a stretch but hear me out." Kendall began. "Since she cant come home and you cant go see her, at least not yet, she deserves to have some companionship. So, why not one of her pets?"  
"That's a great idea, I bet Shadow would love to see Katie." Carlos agreed.  
"I'm sure he would, he's been a pain in the butt without her here to control him, he doesn't listen to anyone but her. But my husband isn't going to let him go easily."  
"That's ok, I'm sure Katie would rather see her cat, Fluffy. Something to cuddle and baby and get really close too." James said.  
"I don't know, don't get me wrong, I love cats but you guys bring your dogs to work all the time what makes you think they'd get along?" Kendall said.  
"Yeah, and having a dog on set is different although we arent allowed to have them at all." Logan said.  
"But hiding a cat is easier." James said  
"Not the smell." Carlos added.  
"Fluffy is too old to make the trip. She's 14 years old and has all of her own health problems. As much as Katie would love to see her, taking Shadow is your best bet." her mom said.  
"Alright then its settled; we'll take him." Kendall said. They would come back for him next week when they passed through CT on the way to the lower coast before heading back to California. They had shows all along the coast of the USA including the south coast and it would be another 2-3 weeks before they would be in LA. The guys wanted to surprise her but they couldn't keep Shadow on the bus that long; he was impatient, grumpy and destructive. They made plans to have him shipped to LA and kenneled at a luxury pet resort until they got back. They ha day break before their next show and Kendall and Daniel took a trip to LA real quick to set it all up.

Kendall's house was the closest to HQ so he made a quick trip home to drop off all of Shadow's belongings. Kendall and Daniel made the first trip and his family helped bring in the rest and stored it in Kendall's room. Shadow was definitely well cared for, he had a cart of grooming tools and supplies, a 35 gallon tub full of toys, and a large bin full of other clothing and accessories such as a life jacket, and numerous collars and leashes; not to mention a 40lb bag of prescription dog food. Kendall's mom was shocked to find her son home and had many questions but he managed to give a quick explanation before he and Daniel were back on the road to Texas.

They arrived during the night and slept in the next day until the were woken up for sound check. Once done, Kendall went back to bed. The tour went by pretty fast and they were excited to get back home. Traffic held them back a day and when they arrived in California it was too late in the evening to do anything so they made some plans for tomorrow and went to their own places to get a well deserved sleep. Although they were so excited, they didn't think they could sleep, but one by one the tour caught up with them and they drifted to dreamland.

James and Carlos woke up early the next morning and had already texted each other to meet up at Logan's house in an hour. Logan was still in PJ's and in the middle of breakfast. They hung out for a while before heading to Kendall's knowing that no one would be awake just yet. Once they thought it was safe, they ventured to the Knight home where he was ready and waiting to go. They were at the pet resort just as it opened and had to wait while staff finished the morning feed and walking before they were given Shadow.

He had been groomed the day before and was all fresh and clean for his reunion. He looked healthy and happy and in an overall better mood. They loaded him up into the car and went straight to HQ. Most of the staff knew of the surprise before hand just because dogs weren't usually allowed in the building but had made a special exception. Several staff confirmed Katie was in her office as they had kept her busy with work for most of the morning.  
They knocked and heard a muffled "come in".

"Surprise!" James greeted as the guys filed in.  
"Ahh!" she screamed in delight. She hugged them with force. "I missed you guys! Welcome back!"  
"We missed you too. We've been doing a lot of discussing while we were gone; about our conversation." Kendall said.  
"Oh…" she replied  
"Why didn't you tell us?" Carlos said.  
"I didn't want to bother you with it. It wasn't that big a deal. I enjoyed living on my own. Well at least while you guys and the other cast members were around. Once filming ended, everyone went back home to family or went on vacations that I couldn't afford. Then I got lonely and I realized it wasn't all that it was cracked up to be." she said.  
"Well I know we cant be together all the time but we don't want you to feel so alone anymore." James said  
"That's right you need someone you can always depend on even when we arent around." Logan agreed  
"Carlos." Kendall motioned. Carlos went out to the hall and untied Shadow from a railing but he wouldn't budge. He tried tugging and pushing but still nothing.  
"Guys, I need some help with this." he said. The other three stood for a moment before James spoke.  
"I already helped with it once and it was dangerous." he said.  
"Ok, ok, I'll help you." Kendall said. He tried with what he could but Shadow still refused and even gave him some teeth marks. Not a full on bite, just some marks as a warning. Katie saw them struggling and before she could ask if she could assist, Logan spoke.  
"Would you rather she come to you guys?"  
"No. We can do this!" Carlos said adamant.  
"Why is this so difficult all of a sudden? Worked just fine a half hour ago!"  
"Must be some heck of a present!" Katie said. At her words Shadow perked up and began to look around.  
"Got it!" Carlos said. "Katie!"  
"Yeah?" she replied  
"Keep talking" he said  
"About what?" she asked  
"Anything." Kendall said  
"Uh ok." she stammered confused. "How was the tour?"  
"Great we had a grand time." James responded  
"That's good. Hey, do you guys want anything to eat? I have a tray of treats here." she offered. At that familiar word Shadow got up and began to look he poked his head around the corner and got a whiff of Katie and before they could think twice, Kendall and Carlos were on the floor and Shadow was running into her office. The commotion made her look up and she dropped the tray and matched Shadow's howling as she squealed with delight at seeing her best bud.  
"Shadow! Oh my god!" she yelled as she raced to her friend. He jumped into her arms and she held him tight, squeezing the air out of him before putting him down and rolling on the floor with him and scratching him all over. His tail wouldn't stop wagging and he couldn't sit still. The guys watched with a smile as they saw Katie smile for the first time in ages. She may not be able to go home for a while but at least they could bring her a little joy in her life, some familiar company that can make her happier then they ever could. They felt good knowing she would never be alone again. She might be homesick from time to time but Shadow will be there to help keep her company.

When Katie and Shadow calmed down enough, she got off the floor and gave each guy a hug. They loved her hugs; when she hugged, she put all of her feelings into it and you could almost feel what she felt. They talked for a little while, almost 3 hours actually about the tour, the visit with her mom and a bunch of other stuff. They kept it quiet about her cat, Fluffy although she asked how she was doing and wondered why not her? Fluffy hated strangers but putting her in a crate would make her easier to handle than Shadow, who she knew was being a brat at home.

Shadow was being calm now though, he listened to every word Katie said and was friendly towards most people now. It was a big difference, she really was a great dog trainer and had a way with animals. Shadow accompanied Katie everywhere she went including to stores and interviews. He made headlines in magazines all across the world as did her cat Fluffy who Katie carried a picture of with her. After a few months, it was time to film another season of the show and before long it finished and by then Katie had more than enough to fly home. She packed up her things and Shadow's and they both flew home where her parents were waiting with open arms and much emotion.

The show was put on a short hiatus and Katie spent just over a year at home before she was called back to LA to continue performing. She made more money that year as she became a bigger star and the network launched her into a solo career on the side. She wasn't as big as BTR but it was a start and although she was far away from home a lot, she now had a choice to go home whenever she needed to and her life couldn't have been any better.


End file.
